Playlouder - Music is the Network

Brightblack Morning Light like to keep a different time to most of us. You know those sped up videos of people walking through cities, popularly used on Madonna’s Ray of Light video, previously used on awesome film-poem Koyaansiqtasi, now used everywhere? If they were on that, they’d probably be going at a slight jog compared to the rest of the blurred lines that used to be people.

That’s right, they like to keep it reeeeal slow. But then when you’re recording your album in the middle of the desert using 4 solar panels to provide the power, what’s the hurry? Sun comes up, sun goes down. Brightblack Morning Light probably think that we are going too fast, and they’re probably right.

They most likely wouldn’t be in the city to be captured on sped up film anyway, unless they were playing some show where they ask the crowd to bring crystals and notices about local environmental issues for dissemination at their merch stand.

Yes, for hardened city slickers, self-identified rationalists, and substance addicted drones everywhere Rachel Hughes and Naybob Shineywater’s (for it is HE) shtick is a little hard to swallow. But try listening to the music, you might mellow out a little, at least for the next 45 minutes or so…

Hmmm what? Oh yeah, the music. Repeating Rhodes organ swirls, horn stabs, a some guitar here and there. Subtle breathy vocals preaching revolution and rainbows. Gospel, soul, maybe a little funk. V. Psychedelic, in a subtle way. Supremely languorous bass heavy grooves that swallow any tension in a room or body and envelope it with a sense of peace and of being present, right here, in the now. Not thinking about the past, or the future, and the voice you are hearing in your head as you are reading this has shut up for a second (“who does he think he is?”).

But this ain’t just chill-out music, its political, as you’d expect from a man who used to hang with environmental direct action heroes Earth First!. This thing’s got the end of the world as we know it stamped all over it. But see, the banking system collapsing and a potentially massive sea-change in the way society operates doesn’t have to be a bad thing or a scary thing, or indeed a hectic thing. Perhaps, if we all just mellow out a little, we can make it a good thing. MAN.

In the words of St. Steve of Albini: "This isn't some kind of metaphor! Goddamn this is REAL!"

Brightblack Morning Light say:

"If we are playing your town & you have some new information specifically on local environmental justice issues, please approach the band's vending table with any printed pamphlets explaining the issue with ways folks can take action. Also look for the Defenders Of Wildlife Journal, available free at our table."